What If
by BeMyxoxo
Summary: What If... things didn't go the way they happened in the movie? A series of one-shots about how the movie could have happened differently.
1. Chapter 1

**What if...**

**...Tadashi never ran into the building?**

* * *

The two Hamada brothers stood side by side, in silence. No words were needed, they just stared at the vast tapestry of night sky, enjoying one another's company. Hiro looked up at his brother, whom he'd grown to adore.

"Hey," he murmured softly. "thanks, nerd." he grinned. The elder Hamada chuckled, removing his cap. Short, cropped black hair fell out, a sight that not many got to see. The baseball cap was placed on the shorter boy's head, falling down into his eyes.

"You're welcome." Tadashi smirked. They fell into a comfortable silence once again. Suddenly, a wave of heat washed over them as the San Fransokyo Institute of Technology behind them burst into flames. Without a second thought, the two brothers raced towards the building, where teachers and students were running for their lives. Tadashi reached out to an auburn-haired student, her body racked with coughs.

"Are you okay?" he escorted her quickly to safety. The girl let out a string of breathy coughs.

"Yeah, yeah I'm okay." she stood shakily. "But, Professor Callaghan's still in there!" Hearing this, Tadashi immediately turned to retrieve his beloved professor. Hiro, who had watched this incident in silence grabbed his brother's arm.

"Wait, Tadashi!" he protested. His elder brother turned to him, eyes wide with concern. A silent understanding passed between them. If Tadashi went in there, he might not come out. Hiro felt tears jump to his eyes, and his throat swelled.  
"You can't." he choked, voice cracking. "I can't lose you too." the second phrase came out as a hoarse whisper, shaky and weak. Tadashi pulled away gently, full of regret.

"Professor Callaghan is in there." he pointed to the flames. "Someone has to help."

Hiro felt his heart sink in realisation. Tadashi was going in, no matter what. Because that's the kind of person his brother was. Somewhere in the background, a female voice called out.

"Tadashi! Don't!" Honey? Gogo? Someone else? It didn't matter. Hiro could only stare as he caught a last glimpse of his brother's brown eyes, filled with determination.

Suddenly, the entire building exploded, sending the two Hamada brothers flying backwards. They hit the cold, hard concrete as they were flung by the force. Minutes passed, Hiro could only hear his own thudding heartbeat and the cackling of flames erupting around him. He could only feel heat. Hot, harsh, thick heat enveloping him. Thick, black smoke filled his lungs and his entire being. He didn't dare open his eyes. Flames lapped at his cheeks, singing the tips of his hair. A pair of strong arms were lifting him up now. Tadashi?

"It's okay," a soothing voice calmed him. "You're going to be alright. What's you're name, son?" Hiro opened his eyes for the first time and looked up at the fireman. As he tried to speak, heavy coughs racked his body.

"Hiro... Hamada." he rasped, between coughs. The man carried him carefully to the ambulance.

"You're going to be alright, Hiro Hamada." the young boy was assured as he was lay down gently in the stretcher. The fourteen year old protested weakly, desperately looking around for his brother.

"Tadashi?" he groaned. "My... brother." he added weakly. A female medic smiled down encouragingly.

"You're brother's going to be fine, right now we need to get you to the hospital." she soothed. Hiro fell back into the stretcher, fatigue washing over him. After a few minutes, his eyes began to droop, and darkness washed over him.

**. . . . .**

**. . . . .**

Tadashi stared down at the picture of his late professor. Guilt washed over him for the hundredth time. He could have done something. He should have done something, but instead, he let himself be distracted from the task at hand. But it wasn't Hiro's fault. It was his. If he had been a little faster... maybe, maybe he wouldn't be standing over his professor's grave, dressed in black.

Callaghan had always been Tadashi's favourite teacher; he did everything he could to impress Callaghan, to make him proud. And now, he had failed. And Callaghan had paid the ultimate price.

A single tear escaped his eye, melting in with the endless rain that poured down on his cheeks.

"... I'm sorry."

* * *

**I don't own Big Hero 6**


	2. Chapter 2

The kabuki mask flew off and clattered to the floor. Hiro hesitantly straightened up, this was it. Now what?

"It's over, Krei." his voice quavered. The man in the trench coat slowly turned, and the young boy's eyes widened. This wasn't Alistair Krei. This man had a broader jaw line, a larger nose and a more prominent, protruding brow.

"Professor Callaghan?" Hiro whispered, voice small and vulnerable. From the higher level, his four friends were silent, quietly mouthing their disbelief.

Now that he thought back, Hiro wondered how he ever suspected Krei. This stranger obviously had a wider build, and was shorter in stature. Of course, he'd had his suspicions, but, he couldn't bring himself to believe that the man his brother had looked up to and spoken of so highly, was the one responsible for Tadashi's death.

"Give me the mask, Hiro." Callaghan's tone was dangerously low, but Hiro payed no attention.

"You died." he whimpered. "You died!" his breaths were becoming quick and shallow, mind whirling.

"No, I had your microbots." the professor explained. It didn't make any sense. Why would Callaghan do this?

"But, Tadashi." Hiro protested. "He went in there to save you!" the young Hamada felt his words choke as his throat swelled.

"That was his mistake!" as he said this, Tadashi's creation, Baymax entered, sporting bright red armour.

Hiro once again felt the heavy, dull pain thud in his chest. Tadashi's sacrifice had all been in vain. Because of a man he trusted. A man they had all trusted.  
But not anymore.

"Baymax, destroy." the order left his lips without regret. His brother, the one person he had left, was gone. His absence left a hole in his heart, in his whole being, that nothing could fill ever again. Because sometimes, what you need isn't a mother's hug, or a father's caring words, or even your Aunt, whom you love ever so much's, cooking. It's an older brother who chases away the bullies, and the dark, and everything a fourteen year old could possibly worry about.

"My programming prevents me from harming a human being." Baymax protested.

Hiro clenched his fists. What he was about to do, Tadashi would never do, nor would he ever want to.

But he wasn't Tadashi.

Tadashi was gone.

"Not anymore."

What came next was a blur. He felt, but he couldn't see. No he did see, but only red, a bright angry shade of red. Like the colour of an open wound. He felt his fingers closing around a small chip. Then the sound of plastic crunching beneath his boot.

"Destroy."

Then he saw different colours.

A streak of yellow, bursts of pink, dots of green and blue.

"Don't do it Baymax!" voices, so many of them. Overwhelming him, yelling different things. Then faces, the faces of his friends, contorted in pain.

Then he saw a different shade of red. A darker red. A sticky, warm liquid running down his hands and face. He closes his eyes with the realisation of what he's done. And then for a second, everything is silent. Heavy breathing and pants, his thudding heartbeat, the ringing in his ears. He doesn't dare open his eyes, in fear of what he'll see next. But the crash of concrete forces him to face the consequences of his actions.

He sees a black trench coat. A cracked mask.

And red.

Red everywhere.

"Hiro, what did you do?" a voice whispered. Honey Lemon. Hiro turned to look at his friends. They all wore expressions of anger, horror, but mostly, fear.

"I- I'm sorry. I didn't-"

"What you just did, we never signed up for." the usually gentle Wasabi growled. Hiro hung his head, the severity of what he did washing over him.

"I'm just as bad as Callaghan, aren't I?" he sobbed. Honey Lemon's eyes softened ever so slightly.

"No, Hiro." she soothed him, well knowing how unconvincing she sounded. Suddenly, a heavy blow to his neck caused him to fly across the room, head knocking onto the unforgiving concrete floor. Eyes sticky with blood and tears, he struggled to open his eyes, gasping as he realised who had dealt the blow. None other than Baymax. The supposedly kind, huggable nurse bot. "Baymax, stop!" Hiro protested, backing up. He urgently scanned the room for Baymax's original chip, before realising, he destroyed it.

"Destroy." the robot simply replied, mimicking Hiro's earlier command, nearing closer and closer to his creator's brother. A flash of golden armour stopped between Hiro and Baymax.

"Get back." Gogo warned the younger boy. Hiro spent no time protesting, scrambling as far as possible from the robot. The three other armoured heroes placed themselves between the robot and their friend, willing to protect him at all costs. He may have done a horrible thing, but they were willing to give up their lives. For Tadashi. They owed him that much. Hiro watched in horror as his friends (could he even be called their friend anymore?), already beaten and bruised were knocked aside and beaten down. The sound of bones crunching and cries of agony and torment filled the room. Bodies were thrown around, and collapsed to the floor, limp as rag dolls. But despite this, Hiro could still see the hesitation in their eyes. None of them were quite willing to destroy the robot, regardless of the pain he was inflicting on them. This was their last memory of Tadashi. The last memory they had of their best friend.

But Hiro knew better. Destroying Baymax now wouldn't make a difference. Baymax had died under Hiro's boot. He had been the one to kill Tadashi's memory.

He really was just as bad as Callaghan.

Another punch was delivered to his chest, the sound of ribs cracking echoed in his ears. Hiro groaned, sliding down against the wall. He made eye contact with one of his teammates. Fred. His dragon mask had long since been knocked off. The mascot's blonde hair stuck to his forehead and eyes, sticky with sweat and blood, and his ankle was bent at an awkward angle. The two shared a moment of silent communication. They both knew what was coming. Fred gave one last nod, saluting before heroically charging the destructive robot.

"I'm sorry." Hiro whispered, his voice too hoarse to form words. The thudding in his head got louder and harder. His breaths were getting shorter and raspier, blocked by the clots of dried blood in his throat.

_Thump. Thump. Thump._

He could physically feel his heartbeat slowing, getting weaker and weaker. A quiet groan made the notorious droid aware of his presence. His friends couldn't save him now.

_Are you waiting for me Tadashi?_

_I'll be there soon._

* * *

**I didn't get a lot of reviews for the last chapter, what did you think? **

**Disclaimer: I don't own BH6**


	3. Chapter 3

**Tomadashi, bitches!**

**I don't own BH6**

* * *

"Hiro, we want to help. But we're just... us." Honey Lemon consoled her friend, ever caring. Hiro stepped up to the couch, eyes gleaming.

"No, we can be so much more." he beamed.

* * *

_Of course, Wasabi had to place the tools on the very top shelf. Gogo swore he had been doing this on purpose, placing everything a foot above her reach. Because she didn't already know that she was nearest to 5 foot, while her friends were all nearing 6. Yeah, she was kind of short, but she didn't care._

_Not at all._

_"Gogo?" the girl in question tensed in shock and stumbled backwards. She probably would have hit the ground if it weren't for a pair of arm wrapping around her torso. "What are you doing?" Tadashi's tone was now filled with amusement. The adrenaline junkie quickly composed herself, pulling herself out of his grasp. She brushed herself off, awkwardly avoiding eye contact. _

_"Nothing." she muttered, a little too quickly. The taller boy traced his eyes from the step stool to the wrench at the top of the shelf, the corner of his lips turning up in amusement. _

_"Something funny, Hamada?" Gogo huffed, slightly embarrassed. She paused, staring at him expectantly. "Do you need something?" she snapped. Tadashi, leaned back on the wall, crossing his arms in a relaxed pose. _

_"No, I just thought I'd stop by. But don't stop on my account. Go on." he smirked, knowing fully well that she'd be much to embarrassed to do so. They locked eyes and had a silent staring contest for a full minute, before Gogo turned away. _

_"Are you really just going to stand there?" she sighed. _

_"Yep."_

_"Get out of my face." _

_"Not until you tell me what you were doing."_

_"You know what I was doing."_

_"Do I?"_

_"Yes." _

_"Oh really?"_

_"Don't you have a little brother to stalk?"_

_"It can wait." _

_"You're going to stand there and watch me?"_

_"Yep."_

_"You have no life." _

_"I'm fine with that." _

_A moment of pregnant silence filled the air. Then Gogo muttered something inaudible. Tadashi cocked an ear, grinning playfully. _

_"Sorry, what was that." _

_She repeated herself, a little louder this time._

_"Didn't catch that."_

_"I can't reach the shelf, okay?" she finally snapped. Tadashi let out a hearty laugh, before striding past his friend. Gogo glared at him, eyes boring into his back._

_"What are you-"_

_"Is this what you needed?" he grinned, casually handing her a socket wrench. Gogo took it hesitantly, not meeting his eyes. Tadashi waved, turning back at the doorpost. _

_"See you later. I've got a little brother to stalk." he laughed, mocking her earlier words. Gogo simply nodded, turning to her bike. After a moment, she straightened. _

_"Tadashi?" she murmured quietly, turning back to where he stood. The boy in question tilted his head back when he heard his name being called. _

_"Yeah?" _

_"Thanks." _

_. . . ._

_The two walked in silence, only a small blue umbrella shared between the two of them. There was no conversation between them, but the silence wasn't awkward. It was comfortable, safe. A soothing kind of quiet, save for the occasional 'pop' of strawberry gum. Or it should have been. Rain pattered against the concrete, creating a steady rhythm. But it couldn't compare to the heavy drumming of Tadashi's heartbeat. Gogo usually felt at ease in the silence. She was never one for words, more of a Clint Eastwood type character. But she couldn't shake the intense sensation that crept up her throat and turned her breaths quicker and shallower. _

_"Gogo?" his words felt shaky and uncertain. He couldn't say he didn't notice the gap between himself and his friend. Or lack there of. _

_"Hmm?" her voice was more stable, mainly due to years of mastering her stoic nature. Tadashi felt his heartbeat quicken. It wasn't a drumming anymore. It was a heavy pounding. Five thousand tons of pressure building in his chest, growing stronger and stronger. Finally, he turned to look at her, breath catching in his throat._

_"You have a piece of gum on your lip." he noted quietly, unconsciously leaning down closer to her level. Gogo frowned, running her thumb over her bottom lip. Tadashi brushed her hand away gently._

_"Let me get it." he insisted. "Look up at me." Gogo complied tilting her head up. Tadashi ran two fingers over the ridges above her lips, before swooping down and gently pressing his own lips to hers. He leaned back, carefully inspecting her reaction. For a few moments, Gogo said nothing. And then,_

_"Did you get it?" she demanded, furrowing her eyebrows. Tadashi couldn't help but let out a chuckle. He closed the gap between them, wrapping an arm around her. _

_"Yeah, I got it."_

_. . . ._

_ For a few weeks after their kiss, nothing happened. Then one day, the two were relaxed on Honey Lemon's couch, when Gogo sat up and turned to him._

_"Where are we?" she pursed her lips. Tadashi cocked an eyebrow, puzzled. _

_"We're at Honey Lemon's place?" Gogo rolled her eyes, frustrated. _

_"No I mean. Where does this leave us. I mean, you can't just kiss me and then pretend like nothing happened." she grumbled, staring at him accusingly. Tadashi blushed slightly, cheeks tinging red._

_"That seems like something you would do." he countered. There was no reply from the woman. For a moment, Tadashi was worried he had offended her in someway. He reached out to her. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean it that way-" _

_"This is different." Gogo interrupted him. Her voice lowered, sounding uncharacteristically soft and vulnerable. "You're important to me." she continued. "I don't want to mess this up. Here, what we have now." the two fell into a silence once again, as they so often did. _

_"Where do you want us to be?" _

_. . . ._

_For two weeks, Gogo didn't cry. Because that's just the kind of person that she was. It would be acceptable for Honey Lemon to burst out in tears during the funeral reception, for Wasabi to wipe away a few stray tears, for Fred to wipe his running nose when he thought no one was looking. And Hiro, especially Hiro. No one could blame him if he would spend hours in his room, curled up on Tadashi's old bed, crying himself to sleep. That's the kind of people they were. It was up to Gogo to console her crying best friend, to rub Wasabi's back in quiet encouragement, to secretly hand Fred a pack of tissues, to stop by Aunt Cass' bakery to take over Tadashi's shift, to silently pull Hiro into a comforting hug. Because Tadashi Hamada was her best friend, and he never wanted to see his friends cry. And so it was up to Gogo to stop the flow of tears that fell from her friend's eyes. _

_When Gogo finally broke, it wasn't a few rogue tears that caught on her lips or disappeared down her neckline. This was full out body-racking sobs that never seemed to stop. A dam blocking all the hurt and confusion that finally cracked. _

_And when she cried, it was up to her friends to help her this time. It was up to Honey Lemon to wipe away her stained mascara. It was up to Wasabi to rub her back, telling her that everything would be alright. It was up to Fred to help her over to a nearby couch and close all the doors, because he knows that she doesn't want anyone else to see. It was up to Aunt Cass to bring her a cup of steaming tea, the same kind she would drink over lunch with Tadashi. And it was up to Hiro to hold her hand, offering sweet condolences. She wasn't alone. She was never alone. _

_But she still had one question. _

_Where does this leave us now?_

* * *

"Tadashi Hamada was our best friend. We're in."

_No. Tadashi Hamada was so much more than that._


End file.
